It doesn't take much to see that newspapers are struggling to stay afloat, as are many institutions, in this downturning economy. In their article, The Reconstruction of American Journalism, Leonard Downie Jr. and Michael Shudson discuss just how problematic this is for newspaper circulation and what publishers are trying to do to stay competitive.
One thing that stands out to me about Downie Jr. and Shudson's article is their mentioning of newspapers seeking payment for some of the news they put online. Because of the digital news movement, many newspapers have had to start putting out an online version, and because they are losing readership for their print versions, they need new ways to make money, hence, subscriptions to their online versions. I have already started to see this take effect. Many online versions of newspapers that I have seen, while not outright forcing readers to subscribe for their news, have started charging readers to view their archives. If print news becomes obsolete, I see a few pros and cons with this. While, people do need their news, what's to stop them from simply watching their 5 o'clock local news or news channels like CNN and MSNBC?
Although, Downie Jr. and Shudson do mention that not all newspapers are at risk. Local newspapers are still maintaining some sort of readership because of the stories they cover. It's easy to get global news because everyone is reporting on it. However, with local news, if there is no source of it such as a local newspaper or website, than it is extremely difficult to obtain. For example, my local newspaper, The News Herald, is doing quite well. There is virtually no competition and without it, community members would not be able to get a lot of local information.
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